We are excited to share that Dr. Emily Jenkins was awarded the Youth Health Award from the McCreary Centre Society for 2025.
December 4, 2025
From the McCreary Centre Society 2025 Annual Report:
This year’s Youth Health Award recipient is ... a talented educator ... in the post-secondary world.
Dr. Emily Jenkins is a Professor in the School of Nursing at UBC, as well as Associate Director for Research and Teaching Scholarship, and a Canada Research Chair in Socioecological Approaches to Mental Health and Substance Use. Emily is particularly well known for her youth-engaged mental health and substance use research, and her work has informed substantial policy and practice impacts promoting mental health and preventing substance use harms among youth and their communities.
Emily has partnered with McCreary in many ways over the years, including supporting her students to join the McCreary student group and analyze McCreary data; providing training opportunities for McCreary staff; consulting with our youth groups; and providing opportunities for us to contribute to her work and more broadly to that of the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) at UBC.
Emily joined HELP in 2023 and at that time Dr. Mariana Brussoni, Director of HELP, and a former McCreary collaborator stated,
[Dr. Jenkins’] research prioritizes the voices of youth, particularly those experiencing social and structural vulnerabilities, and stems from a strengths-based approach. We are excited by the new conversations and research projects that will be sparked by Emily’s unique perspective.
These words have definitely reflected our own experiences, and Emily has been instrumental in supporting McCreary and HELP to work more closely together.
Congratulations Dr. Emily Jenkins!